How to Relieve Anxiety in College

Anxiety can be a hard thing to conquer. And, unlike a physical illness or ailment, it can be hard to figure out ways to lessen it. Succeeding in college can become very complicated when mental issues are put into the equation. Dealing with anxiety might seem impossible sometimes, but, coming from someone who has tried many, many different ways to relieve it, it’s not! Here are a few of the things that have helped me overcome my anxiety.

Use Essential Oils

One of the things that is the most effective in reducing anxiety is using essential oils. Different oils have different effects on the body and can be used for different purposes; I have found that lavender essential oil works the best to relieve my anxiety. I usually just put a few drops in my diffuser if I’m feeling anxious, and inhaling it really helps me calm down and makes me feel at peace. If lavender oil isn’t your cup of tea, jasmine essential oil is another one that I have found helps as well. A good blend is 3 drops lavender, 2 drops jasmine, and 2 drops peppermint! Honestly, I could go on forever about the benefits of using essential oils. However, I will leave you with this on the topic: Essential oils are awesome, and you should totally use them.

Do Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are the way that I control my emotions when I feel an anxiety attack coming on. They really, really help. I also use them if I get anxious to the point that I can’t function; they bring me back to myself. So, I’m confident that they can help you as well. I will usually vary between two different exercises. The first is the 4, 7, 8 technique. It’s where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8. The other one that I do is where you breathe in for 1 second, exhale for 2. Then you inhale for 2, exhale for 3.. and so on.

Do Yoga

Just a clarification, I am not a pro yogi. I am just a gal who reaped the benefits of trying yoga. In my very first post, 10 things to do During Senior Year, I explained how the beginning of my senior year went. I’m not going to go too much into detail here, but if you haven’t already read it, go read that and come back! I found yoga during a really stressful and anxious period of my life, and it really helped my soul. Yoga is a practice that gets you not only in touch with your body, but also in touch with your mind. It helped me to be able to accept the way I was feeling, and then let go. Which, I’m sure you can imagine, helped with my anxiety a lot. If you’ve never tried yoga, I strongly encourage it. You don’t have to be doing expert level poses. Even if you’re doing the easiest, least difficult poses, the movement is good for your body and your mind. Get a yoga mat, and get started!

Meditate

Meditating is another great way to get in touch with your body and mind to control anxiety. I started meditation at the same time I started yoga, and something about just sitting and letting your thoughts flow, is so freeing. Personally, I just typed in “how to meditate” on YouTube and that’s how I got started. So if you would like to start, I would suggest you do the same. There are some awesome tutorials out there!

Sleep

Some things can cause anxiety to get out of control, and not sleeping enough is one of them. So to make sure anxiety doesn’t get out of control, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Homework/ binge watching Netflix/ etc. is not important enough for you to stay up late at night and compromise your health! Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep, but just make sure that you’re sleeping the healthiest amount for your age.

Eat Right

Some foods can trigger anxiety in certain people. This is mostly just something that you have to know about your own body, but if you ever start feeling anxious after you eat certain foods, it definitely could be the food. So, if you notice this happening with a certain food, avoid eating that specific food!

Drink Herbal Tea

Herbal tea is so comforting. It just fills you with warmth. I really love drinking lavender honey tea; it is awesome to help relieve stress and aid in relieving anxiety. If you haven’t tried it before, I definitely recommend it. And if you don’t like it your first time–don’t give up! I’ve had a bunch of friends who have told me that it just took them a while to get used to it. It’s an acquired taste for some people, but it is definitely beneficial in relieving anxiety. My favorite herbal teas are lavender honey and cinnamon vanilla!

I hope that these tips help you! Let me know in the comments below if you have ways of relieving anxiety that I didn’t name!

*Disclaimer: Although I have experienced anxiety and these tips have helped me, I am not an expert on this*